Donaldson Dedicatedto Pursuit Of Education

Obituaries

October 18, 2000|By Martin E. Comas of The Sentinel Staff

Lavon Donaldson enjoyed working as a state trooper for the Florida Highway Patrol, but always dreamed of finishing his education.

So in 1968, as a full-time trooper, he enrolled in Daytona Beach Junior College as a full-time student. He earned his degree and then went on to receive a bachelor's degree from Florida State University, all while working full-time for the FHP.

"He requested the 3 p.m. to midnight shift, so he could go to college during the day. He also gave up his weekends to work," said his wife, Linda Donaldson.

Donaldson went on to earn a master's degree in criminal justice from Eastern Kentucky University.

The Casselberry resident died Monday of complications from cancer. He was 61.

Linda Donaldson said her husband was the first Florida state trooper to attend college and graduate while on full-time status with the department.

"He wanted an education and he was very dedicated to it," she said. "He broke the way for future troopers to attend college." The couple were married for 39 years.

Born in Altha, Donaldson graduated from Blountstown High School. An Army veteran, he served a brief stint in Korea.

He returned to Florida and enrolled in Chipola Junior College, but dropped out soon after meeting his wife and landed a job with the Florida Highway Patrol.

After receiving his master's degree, Donaldson was hired as director of Abraham Baldwin College Regional Police Academy in Tifton, Ga. He later was a police adviser for the Prosecuting Attorneys Council in Atlanta.

In 1991, after making a career change, he moved to Orlando to work as a salesman for Bell Chemical Corp.